The concept behind CivicReach is simple. The organization provides artificial intelligence-powered phone answering for social service organizations. While the entity is based in North Carolina, the company’s team operates remotely.
Chief strategy officer Jocelyn Howard is a St. Petersburg native and the company’s representative in the area. She began working out of spARK Labs by ARK Invest last month.
“Our founder and CEO Chip Kennedy is a technologist and also runs a homelessness nonprofit with his family,” Howard explained. “He saw firsthand the barriers and lack of good tools frankly for social service agencies to deliver better services. He also had the technological savvy to do something about it.”
Currently, CivicReach works with clients from around the country. These include state, county and city governments and community agencies.
Since launching in 2024, the organization has collaborated with Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, the City of Memphis and the Virginia Community Action Partnership, among others. CivicReach’s clients serve more than 2.1 million people.
“We build software as a social safety net, from someone’s initial phone call with an agency all the way through when they get the benefits,” she said. “We use AI throughout that process.”
Howard explained that CivicReach’s first product was a voice AI agent. This allows people to have an actual conversation, rather than hear a recording state “press 1 for this.” Individuals know what service they need, but they may not know what department or office to contact. With the technology, clients can “get to the right place” more efficiently.
“AI is a tool that we haven’t had before that can make the process easier and more seamless,” she said. “I think often when it comes to getting services, the information is the sticking point. For example, the voice AI agents can answer the phone 24/7 and they can do it really well in different languages. It makes it more accessible.”
CivicReach is also creating products that focus on the “client journey,” Howard added, including relationship management and appointment scheduling tools.
For Howard, the spARK Labs by ARK Invest experience has provided an opportunity to help grow the company locally.
Prior to joining the incubator, the CivicReach team formed a relationship with the St. Pete Innovation District, which oversees the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. The shared workspace was designed to support the triple helix of innovation: industry, government and academia.
“The Hub is great because it is encouraging the growth of government technology companies,” she said. “That was a great jumping off point.”
Alison Barlow, CEO of the Innovation District, first met Howard a number of years ago.
“I think CivicReach is a really critical technology that helps all of our government entities communicate and collaborate with their stakeholders, particularly citizens,” Barlow said. “So, when Jocelyn told me about what she was working on, I saw the value and some really interesting potential uses of artificial intelligence.”
She believes that it’s important to have “creative” and “dynamic” companies in the Tampa Bay area that serve multiple layers of government. This can not only benefit local municipalities, but can allow the region to be a part of the national conversation.
“It’s nice to have a space where you can go and work and see people,” Howard said. “I think being a part of a team at an early-stage startup and having the creative opportunity to learn from other folks who are doing the same thing is huge. I think we’re all figuring it out.”
She added that spARK Labs by ARK Invest has provided mentorship opportunities and additional resources. The incubator also hosts programming and internal events on a near-daily basis.
“We’re excited to welcome CivicReach.ai to spARK Labs,” said the organization’s CEO and president Becca Brown in a statement prepared for the Catalyst. “Their platform applies AI to one of society’s most important challenges, helping governments and nonprofits deliver faster, more reliable service while giving every resident a better experience when they reach out for help. “